[Nfbv-announce] Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act

[Fredric Schroeder]

Good afternoon all,

As you will see below, The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, H.R. 734,
gained its two-hundredth cosponsor today.  Unfortunately only four House
Representatives from Virginia are cosponsors on the bill: Connolly, Forbes,
Moran, and
Wittman.  Please call your member of Congress and encourage him or her to
join as a cosponsor of H.R. 734.

Together we can get this important legislation passed.

Fred Schroeder, President
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations 
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen at nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind Urges
Chairman Waxman to Move Forward with Safety Legislation

Pedestrian Safety Bill Gains Two-Hundredth Cosponsor

Washington, D.C. (February 25, 2010):  The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement
Act, H.R. 734, gained its two-hundredth cosponsor today.  The bill, which
has been championed by the National Federation of the Blind, is intended to
protect blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of
silent vehicle technology.  

Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic using their
vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed, direction, and
other attributes in order to travel safely and independently.  Other people,
including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners, seniors, and
small children, also benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle engines.  New
vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent,
rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and
pedestrians come into proximity with each other.  

A recent report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) stated that hybrid and electric vehicles are nearly
twice as likely to be involved in accidents with pedestrians as vehicles
with internal combustion engines.  

"The National Federation of the Blind urges Chairman Waxman to move forward
on H.R. 734 and preserve the right to safe and independent travel for the
blind," said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the
Blind.  "The blind, like all pedestrians, must be able to travel to work, to
school, to the store, and to other places in our communities without being
injured or killed.  This bill will benefit all pedestrians for generations
to come as new vehicle technologies become more prevalent."  

The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation, within ninety days of its
enactment, to commence a two-year study to determine the best means to
provide blind and other pedestrians with information about the location,
motion, speed, and direction of vehicles.  Upon completion of the study, the
Secretary will report the findings of the study to Congress and, within
ninety days, establish a minimum vehicle safety standard for all new
vehicles sold in the United States.  Automobile manufacturers will have two
years to comply with the vehicle safety standard.